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Olitiau
|Reported = 1937 |Researchers = Ivan T. Sanderson Bernard Heuvelmans Karl Shuker}} The olitiau is a giant bat reported from the Assumbo Mountains of in West-Central Africa, known from native folklore and a single sighting made by Ivan T. Sanderson. It has sometimes been equated with the kongamato. Etymology "Olitiau" is an Ipulo word, and is possibly a transcription of "Ole Ntya" ("cloven" or "forked"), which is the name of a dance mask with horns that is used to represent a demon. Bernard Heuvelmans notes that the name "olitiau" is probably not the native term for the bat itself, but as it is the only term known, it is the one used in cryptozoological literature. James Powell's mention of the term to people in the area failed to elicit a response, though he wrote that he may simply have been pronouncing it wrong. Description Sanderson described the olitiau, which he only saw briefly, as entirely black and about the size of an eagle, with a semicircle of pointed white teeth, set "about their own width apart from each other." These teeth were described as chattering. After the sighting, both Sanderson and Gerald Russell agreed that the animal had a wingspan of at least 12'. Sightings 1932 Ivan T. Sanderson reported the only known sighting of the olitiau in 1932. It appeared to him and Gerald Russell, who were wading through a shallow river in the Assumbo Mountains, after they stopped to retrieve a hammer-headed bat they had shot. Sanderson stepped on something that moved, possibly a tortoise, and lost his balance: when he recovered, his companion shouted "Look out!" When they returned to their camp, they encountered several native hunters who had come to sell them animals. Sanderson told these people about his encounter, and they told him he had seen an olitiau, a very feared animal. The hunters then fled from the camp. Theories Mistaken identity Sanderson believed the animal he saw was a bat, and the most immediately obvious identity would be a bat of the order Megachiroptera, which are the largest bats. They possess the very widely-spaced teeth noted by Sanderson, and do have a habit of dipping into the water for unknown reasons. The hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus), which Sanderson and Russell had just shot, is the largest African bat of the Megachiroptera, with a wingspan of up to 3'. Hammer-headed bats are gentle and harmless, but, as Sanderson had just shot one, Bernard Heuvelmans suggests that the olitiau may have been a grieving parent or mate attacking in anger. However, he also noted that all the African flying foxes are brown or yellowish in colour, while the olitiau was reported to be all-black. Also, the terror of local people at the animal suggests that it was habitually aggressive, not spurred into attacking out of anger. Megabats are fruit-eaters, and are unlikely to be so feared. The only carnivorous bats are the often smaller species of the order Microchiroptera. Some of these bats are also bold and aggressive, attacking birds and smaller bats, and could feasibly attack a human. The yellow-winged bat (Lavia frons) is the largest bat of this group in Africa. It is fond of aquatic insects and hunts during the day, but it does not achieve a wingspan of more than 16'', and has coppery-coloured wings.ShukerNature: THE AHOOL AND THE OLITIAU – GIANT MYSTERY BATS ON THE WING? Unknown giant bat In light of its appearance and behaviour, Karl Shuker and Sanderson himself suggested the olitiau could have been an undiscovered giant bat of the Microchiroptera suborder. Pterosaur Although Sanderson insisted the animal was a bat, Eberhart notes that its dentition seems reptilian, and Frank Lane suggested to Sanderson that it was a pterosaur. Eberhart also notes that there is some evidence suggesting pterosaurs may have had hair. Although initially critical, Sanderson eventually became more sympathetic to the idea that the olitiau may have been a pterosaur, writing to Bernard Heuvelmans in 1959 to remark that he "didn't see anything unreasonable in it". Sanderson believed that pterosaurs were cliff and cave dwellers - and there were plenty of cliffs in the area - which "aeroplaned over water to dip for fish". Similar cryptids Do you think the exists? If so, what do you think the is? Myth, folklore, hoax, or otherwise made-up Mistaken identity Unknown giant bat Living pterosaur The olitiau has been equated with the kongamato by several authors. Heuvelmans writes that "the general appearance, the size, the long jaws bristling with teeth, the habitat by the water's edge, and the panic it causes among the natives all agree". Additionally, the olitiau's habit of diving at people intruding on its territory could explain the kongamato's reputation for capsizing canoes. Notes and references Category:Cryptids Category:Africa Category:Cameroon Category:Bats Category:Giant bats Category:Theory: Mistaken identity bat Category:Theory: New bat species Category:Theory: Living fossil - Pterosaur Category:1932 Category:No recent sightings